Capturing the Birth of a Lightning Bolt

November 19, 2012—Using one of the world's fastest cameras, a National Geographic explorer attempts the nearly impossible—photographing the birth of a lightning bolt.EDITOR'S NOTE: Along with his son, Paul, and storm chaser Carl Young—his longtime collaborators—National Geographic explorer and storm chaser Tim Samaras died in a tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma, on May 31, 2013. He devoted his life to unlocking the mysteries of extreme weather.

Capturing the Birth of a Lightning Bolt

November 19, 2012—Using one of the world's fastest cameras, a National Geographic explorer attempts the nearly impossible—photographing the birth of a lightning bolt.EDITOR'S NOTE: Along with his son, Paul, and storm chaser Carl Young—his longtime collaborators—National Geographic explorer and storm chaser Tim Samaras died in a tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma, on May 31, 2013. He devoted his life to unlocking the mysteries of extreme weather.

Capturing the Birth of a Lightning Bolt

November 19, 2012—Using one of the world's fastest cameras, a National Geographic explorer attempts the nearly impossible—photographing the birth of a lightning bolt.EDITOR'S NOTE: Along with his son, Paul, and storm chaser Carl Young—his longtime collaborators—National Geographic explorer and storm chaser Tim Samaras died in a tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma, on May 31, 2013. He devoted his life to unlocking the mysteries of extreme weather.